Keane, working as a pundit for ITV, felt United had "got what they deserved" when they were knocked out by Basel, comments which did not go down well with Ferguson.

The Scot questioned Keane's own managerial record in the aftermath of the game, saying "(Roy) had an opportunity to prove himself as a manager too. It is a difficult job" while he also talked in his programme notes before last weekend's game against Wolves about criticism of the club coming "even from people we thought were perhaps on our side".

Keane told the Sunday Times: "If you want to question my managerial record, listen, you could question every pundit's managerial skill in relation to (Ferguson's) and we're all going to come up short.

"But I would also say that without players like myself, maybe he wouldn't have such a good managerial record because players who go down the punditry road, it's soon forgotten that we put bodies on the line for him."